Panther Valley School District has elected to do away with the fee it charges athletes to play sports.

The fee will no longer be collected as of the winter sports season.Athletes who have already paid their activity fee for winter sports will have their checks returned when practice begins on Monday.Panther Valley had collected a fee from students participating in sports since 2013. The fee had been $30 for a student's first sport, $20 for the second, and $10 for the third. Students who qualified for free and reduced lunch were exempt from paying the fee.Outgoing school board member Michelle Markovich proposed doing away with the fee at Thursday's board meeting, and the board voted to repeal it.